seeing
by victorcharlie
Summary: He was blinded by hate and she was muted by love. He could speak but refused to and she could see but refused to. He would give anything to see her and she would give anything to let him hear her. What could they do?
1. I

seeing** 1. **

The shattering of glass was preceded by a high-pitched shriek.

The small family was crowded together in their small living room, a couch along the wall, a television opposite of it, and a black piano sat in the corner and had a thin layer of dust covering it.

The origin of the shatter was gripped tightly in the larger figure's hand—a broken beer bottle.

"Stop staring at me you monster!" he yelled in a drunken stupor, pointing the dripping, broken bottle at the small, detached figure. "Stop staring at me with those eyes. Stop staring at me with Misaki's eyes!"

"Father what are you doing?! Stop it!" A feminine voice screamed in horror, trying to hold back her father's arm. "Leave him alone, he didn't do anything! Kankuro help!" she shrieked at her younger brother who was standing in shock at the scene.

Kankuro stood there looking at his three family members. The older man overpowered his older sister, who was attempting to use her frail thirteen year old arms to hold back her drunken father, who was aiming the beer bottle at their younger brother's face as if trying to scare the five year old, yet he was unfazed as he stared back at his frenzied father with nonchalant eyes.

Her father's face marred into a deep scowl. "He's a monster! He killed Misaki!" he slurred, shaking his daughter off his arm. "He killed your mother Temari."

Temari fell to the ground sobbing before crawling over to Kankuro, who stood in newfound fear of his father who now held the youngest member of his family a good two feet off the ground with the glass bottle against his neck, a thin line of blood slithered down his pale neck.

"You monster!" he cried as vinous tears rolled down his face, pressing the glass to his neck. "For five years I've put up you watching me with Misaki's eyes—her beautiful jade eyes. And they were stolen by you!" he screamed leveling the glass to his eyes. "And now I'm going to take them back from you!" he screamed thrusting the glass into the helpless boy's eyes.

Temari and Kankuro's eyes widened and they watched as everything slowed down, the glass pierced both jade eyes and steady tears of crimson blood seeped through his open eyes and down his cheeks, and their frantic father then proceeded to scratch the distinctive kanji into Gaara's forehead that would forever stay with the boy.

_**Love.**_

Temari felt her mouth drop open as she let out the bloodcurdling scream that would save her younger brother's life.

* * *

Brushing her forehead, she breathed a sigh of relief yet cursed inwardly. "He's stable," she exclaimed to the other doctors and interns. "Fifteen hours and he's finally stable."

The room echoed with applause.

"_You're so amazing Tsunade-sensei!" _an intern shouted, clapping fervidly.

"_Stay with us forever! Don't go back to Konohagakure Hospital. We need you!" _A doctor joked.

"_Another miraculous surgery completed by Tsuande-hime!" _another doctor congratulated her using her old medical nickname.

"But—" she stared down at the child on the operating table. _'Shit. Why of all things did this have to happen? What type of father would do this?! Sh—' _she thought moving the child's crimson hair away from his forehead to show the torturous incision wound on his forehead, examining the small stitches on his eyes.

"But what Tsunade-sensei?" an observant intern questioned, "Tsunade-sensei is there something wrong?"

All attention was focused on her.

Saying nothing, she exited the operating room and began to wash her hands. "Now that he's stable, clean him up, wrap his head, and deliver him back to his room." She ordered throwing away her mask. "Where are the siblings?"

* * *

Tsunade ran her hand through her platinum mane as she sat backwards in her chair across from the two siblings. _'How the hell am I supposed to tell them—'_

"What happened to our brother and what are you going to do about that bastard of a father?!" Kankuro demanded, standing up but was soon pulled back down by Temari who gave Tsunade a look of apology.

"Please, we just want answers." Temari pleaded, distress written over her face.

Looking at he two siblings, their faces were etched with misery and the lack of sleep was getting to them. _'I can't believe I'm being forced to tell kids how their brother just barely escaped death.'_

Tsunade laid her forehead against her arms, eyes beginning to mist. "Y-Your brother is stable but… after sustaining… sustaining such severe injuries," Tsunade stuttered. _'Just say it Tsunade! Why are you having such trouble?!' _she berated herself. "Your brother… your brother is permanently… blind."

Temari whimpered and hid her face in Kankuro's shoulder, who bit his lip.

Tsunade swallowed deeply. "I am so sorry—I am so sorry that children as young as yourselves have to endure this." She said looking away from the before standing up. "I have a friend who's a child welfare officer and she wants to ask you a few questions, so I'm going to let her in and leave for the time being to go check up your brother."

Just before she exited the small room, Temari spoke up. "Gaara—our brother's name is Gaara."

Tsunade walked out of the small room and headed towards the elevator, rubbing her watering eyes.


	2. II

seeing **2.**

Tsunade stalked out of the elevator and down the hall.

"Tsunade-sensei!" a voice called.

Groaning inwardly as she realized who was calling her, she turned around plastering a fake smile on her face to meet the caller. "Yakushi-san, how nice it to see you." She greeted through her clenched teeth.

"Now Tsunade-sensei you of all people are allowed to call me Kabuto." He said, beaming at her.

Tsunade clenched her teeth even harder. "Thank you for your kind offer Yakushi-san but I prefer to call people by their surnames, and if you'll excuse me I have to go check up on my patient." She said, throwing him one last forced smile before walking away. _'This is precisely the reason why I'm never transferring here!'_

Going up to the desk, she reached over and grabbed Gaara's file. Flipping it open, her eyes skimmed over his medical history.

'_Gaara Sabaku; five years old; relatively healthy, no record of admittance before; father: Hiroshi Sabaku, mother: Misaki Sabaku—deceased, sister: Temari Sabaku, brother: Kankuro Sabaku; and other than that nothing out of the normal.' _She thought sliding open the door to Gaara's room and quietly closing it behind her.

Silently, she checked Gaara's vitals. _'It seems that everything is stable. You are an unbelievably lucky child.' _She thought observing the unconscious boy.

The steady beep of the monitor slowly faded into the background as Tsunade became enraptured with the comatose patient. His skin was unnaturally pale, making the noticeable stitches stick out even more; Tsunade's eyes traveled up to his bandaged face, veiled by the layers and layers of gauze that covered his eyes and forehead, hiding the traumatic wounds that forever stay with him.

'_I suppose being lucky always comes with a price.' _Tsunade laughed bitterly at the irony.

She gently let her hand run through his mess of crimson hair that was slightly damp from the wash the nurses gave him. Combing out the small tangles in his hair, she felt him stir.

"Are you awake?"

The youth made no abrupt movement but he smacked his chapped lips together.

Tsunade hurriedly poured a small plastic cup of water before lifting it up to Gaara's lips, inclining the cup. She watched as the muscles along his throat bob up and down with each gulp of water he took.

After he finished the cup, she set it down on the side dresser. "I'm going to check your vitals okay?" she asked the boy, who made no response, slipping the stethoscope into her ears. Grabbing his arm to check his blood pressure, the diaphragm rested on the juncture of his arm for a second before he suddenly snatched his arm back and began to pull at his bandages, screeching noises of frustration when he couldn't take them off.

Tsunade's eyes opened with alarm. "No! Don't do that." She chastised, grabbing his arm once again. "Now let's do this again, I'm going to check your blood pressure."

Pulling his arm back again, he grabbed at the gauze, yanking in all directions. "Take it off! I can't see!"

Tsunade jerked the stethoscope out of her ears, tugging on him roughly. "No! And if you do that again—"

"Let go of me!" he cried trying to shake her binding arms off. "Leave me alone!"

Clenching her teeth, she refused to let go. "No I won't! Now let me—"

He screamed.

Watching as he tried violently to shake her arms off, he was still no match for her adult strength. As the screaming and struggling didn't stop, her tolerance began to wear thin.

"Stop it!" she yelled no caring if the nurses came to check up on them. "Stop it now, Gaara!"

He stopped struggling as his name was yelled.

Exhaling noisily, she sat back down and pulled violently at her hair. Reaching to redo his bandages, she stopped midway. "Gaara, I'm going to redo your bandages. Can I touch you?"

He nodded.

Reaching cautiously for his bandages, she carefully rewrapped the soft gauze. "There. Now I'm going to check your vitals and you're not going to struggle okay?" she asked, blowing her bangs out of the way.

He nodded once more.

"Gaara, do you remember what happened?" she asked recording his blood pressure.

Silence followed her question.

"Do you remember what happened?" she asked again. _'Is it post-traumatic shock?'_

Again, silence followed.

Tsunade tried to keep her impatience at bay. "Do you remember what hap—"

She was cut off as Temari and Kankuro rushed into the room.

"Gaara!" Temari exclaimed jumping on the bed, hugging her brother tightly as silent tears ran down her face. "I'm so glad you're alright."

Kankuro stood next to Tsunade before tugging on her coat sleeve. "Is he stable?"

Tsunade nodded once, tying her hair. "He's perfectly stable and his vitals are fine."

Kankuro pointed at the bandages around Gaara's head. "Then—"

"Yes."

He dropped his hand. "Have you told him yet?"

She shook her head. "I decided that you and Temari should tell him."

Hearing her name, Temari let go of Gaara. "Gaara, Kankuro and I have something to explain to you."

Gaara cocked his head.

Temari licked her lips. "W-Well… you see… a-after father… did what he did, you fell unconscious… and there was so much blood… a-and I was so afraid that you would leave us," a bombardment of tears ran down her face as she stumbled trying to find the right words to say. "And you were rushed here—to the hospital—and now you're here… awake and _alive_." She fell against Gaara's bed, sobbing into the sheets.

Kankuro stood next to Temari with a pained smile on his face. "So in the end, we're just happy you're alive."

Gaara patted Temari on the head. "What about father?"

Temari lifted her head but was cut off by Kankuro. "You don't need to worry about that bastard anymore Gaara he'll never come near us again, the police arrested him!" he promised Gaara yet at the same time trying to convince himself. "Also, me and Temari talked with the child welfare officer—your friend Tsunade-san—and decided that we were going to go live with our grandmother, to make amends with whatever we have left." He stated calmly.

"And? What about Gaara?" she asked, appalled. "Are you just going to leave him here?!"

Temari stood up from her kneeling position and Kankuro took her spot by Gaara's bed. "Well your officer friend told us that the hospital back in Konohagakure has a separate unit that you're in charge of and that you take care of people—such as Gaara—with their own individual cases. Therefore, Kankuro and I were wondering if you wouldn't mind taking him back to Konohagakure with you, while Kankuro and I sort out everything here in Sunagakure. We aren't doing this because we'retrying to leave him, but when we go to live with our grandmother Gaara's going to be alienated either way, so we decided that you would be the best person to leave him with." She said, taking in a deep breathe.

'_What the hell?!' _Tsunade's eyes widened. "Temari, I want to talk to you as I would talk to an adult—why the _hell_ do you think that I would take in Gaara, and what makes you think Gaara would go with me?" she demanded from the short-statured, thirteen year old, blonde.

"I don't know myself why I would even think about letting you—a random doctor—take Gaara all the way to Konohagakure to take care of him, but Gaara obviously trusts you, so we will too."

Tsunade scoffed. "And how do you know that Gaara trusts me?"

"Normally Gaara doesn't let anyone talk to him at all even so acknowledge them, and you two seem to be perfectly fine around each other."

Tsunade sighed, looking over to Gaara. _'Looks like he's going to have Gaara to talk to now.' _Scratching her head, she nodded lightly. "Okay."

Temari squealed and finally looked like her age as her face lit up. "Thank you so much Tsunade-san!" she hugged Tsunade tightly. "Kankuro she agreed!"

Kankuro jumped up and ran to hug Tsunade. "Thanks."

Temari and Kankuro squeezed Gaara into a hug, whispering things into his ear. "Now we're going to go tell Shizune-san!"

They ran out of the room.

Tsunade walked over to Gaara, sitting at the edge of the bed. "So I suppose you know what's going to happen?"

He dropped and lifted his head. "Kankuro told me."

"Then do you know about—" Tsunade trailed off.

Gaara sat still in the bed, eyes veiled by the gauze. "I guessed."

Tsunade was astounded by the five year olds maturity as hers paled in comparison.

"The hospital gave me special permission to take you back with me earlier, so we'll leave as soon as you're discharged next week."

* * *

His ears focused on the agitated steps that made its way to his room.

The steps came closer and closer until a strong burst of wind hit his face.

"Yakushi-san bothering you Tsunade-san?" he asked.

Tsunade pulled at her hair and moaned.

"You shouldn't pull at your hair, it falls out quicker."

Tsunade's hand fell to her side and smiled at the diminutive child in bed. "How'd you know it was me Gaara?"

Gaara shrugged. "I've gotten used to the sound your heels make when they hit the ground—you're wearing your short pumps today— and the speed you walk at—usually affrettando—"

Tsunade looked at him incredulously. _'It's only been five days and he's able to distinguish who I am through the sound of my steps.' _She grinned. '_He's rather observant for someone so young—even without his eyes. I'll do some tests when we get back.' _she thought in the back of her head.

"—also the nurses told me." He simpered.

Shaking her head, she moved to his side by the window and rested her hand on his shoulder. "Are you all packed?"

Gaara scoffed. "There wasn't much to pack in the first place."

Tsunade thumped him on the head lightly. "Don't be stubborn, just do it. We're leaving tomorrow." She reminded.

Gaara's face relaxed. "Does that mean the bandages are coming off?" he asked.

Tsunade pat him on the shoulder one last time before directing him back to his bed. "Yes, tomorrow—so that means tomorrow, understood?"

Gaara sighed, nodding.

Tsunade grinned and tousled his hair. "Until tomorrow."

* * *

Night oozed through the blinds, as it shone on a tall figure.

"I'm here."

'_Wonderful Kabuto. Now bring the child to the planned place.'_

Turning off his phone, he reached for the sleeping child; his hand crawled under his shoulder to pick him up but he stirred.

"Tsunade-san?" Gaara asked groggily, scratching at the bandages. "Is that you?"

Kabuto froze as Gaara lifted his small hands to touch his face, realizing that the man wasn't the doctor he called out.

'_An oblong face and glasses…' _Gaara thought, realizing who the stranger was.

Opening his mouth to scream, Kabuto quickly muffled Gaara's mouth with a rag soaked in chloroform, knocking him unconscious.

Gaara struggled against the confining rag that covered his nose.

'_Tsunade-san… help…'_

* * *

"Kabuto unwrap his bandages." A ragged voice ordered.

Gaara flinched as cold hands moved to unwrap the gauze around his head.

"Good. Now Gaara-kun, turn this way." This time the order was directed towards him.

Feeling the last of the gauze fall from his face, Gaara turned towards the voice.

"Exceptional, it seems that your sense of hearing has improved rapidly." He spoke to himself before clearing his throat. "Do you know who I am Gaara-kun?" he asked.

Gaara chose not to respond.

"I am Orochimaru. And you are a special guest in my home." Orochimaru introduced himself smugly and Gaara could hear him smirk.

"Gaara," he paused.

Gaara waited.

"Open your eyes for me."

Furrowing his eyebrows together, Gaara slowly opened his eyes.

"Now tell me—what do you see?"

Gaara bit his lip.

"Nothing."


	3. III

seeing **3.**

The blistering sun beat down on his back relentlessly, causing profuse amounts of sweat to run down his back, drenching his tattered shirt.

Laying his pale hand on the ground, he concentrated on the silently loud vibrations that flowed through the ground. Wiping the sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand, he stood back up before taking off.

With each slap his foot made, his desperation increased and unneeded adrenaline ran through his lithe body. The fatigue of running nonstop for three days was finally catching up to him as his sprinting slowed and his mind faltered.

The sound of flapping wings woke him from his reverie.

'_Just keep running._' He thought, taking a small, measured sip of water from his pilfered bottle._ 'The city should be somewhere around here.' _

'**Just keep running Gaara; never fucking stop—unless you want him to catch you again. And you know that if you stop for even a second, I'll fucking devour you.'**

His eyes widened and his muscles contracted as he instinctively ran faster, feeling the humid air ran through his sweat-matted hair.

'**They're coming Gaara. Closer and fucking closer, they come, they're going to drag you back to that hellhole and you're going to be beaten senseless until you don't have the will to escape again. Then out of nowhere, you're going to have the will to escape again. The cycle just continues. Eleven years later and the fucking cycle still continues—you're fucking pathetic Gaara.'**

Shaking his head, Gaara dodged an oncoming tree with ease.

"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" he screamed, stopping abruptly. "Get out of my head! Leave me alone!"

Silence echoed throughout the forest as dark clouds edging into the sky, threatening to cover the blinding sun.

Running his hand sluggishly through his dirty, red hair, Gaara froze as vibrations in the ground reached his feet.

'_They're coming.'_ He calculated the number of people. _'Jirobo, Kidomaru, Sakon and Ukon, Tayuya, and Kimimaru. ' _he grimaced inwardly as he reached for his slender sword. _'This is going to take longer than I thought.'_

The five people enclosed on Gaara, grinning maliciously at their prey.

* * *

Tsunade watched silently as a steady flow of steam rose from her mug of chamomile and listened as the rain pelted the window with heavy droplets.

Slipping on her mug, Tsunade leafed through the stack of medical files lying on her desk, reviewing over their progress, behavior, and etcetera; taking note on those who showed little or no progress.

Setting down her mug, she blew at a string of hair that fell from her messy bun.

'_Where's Shizune when you need her?' _Tsunade thought languidly blowing at the strand of hair before marking in one of the files.

Reaching for her tea, a rapid knock on the door soon took her attention and captured it for the rest of that afternoon, leaving her mug of steaming tea to turn lukewarm.

* * *

The dark sky bombarded the bloodied, unmoving figure with never-ending showers of rain, mixing with his wounds causing them to crying streams of watered blood.

Vibrations flowed through the ground.

'_They're heavy—probably my age; at least six foot.' _He calculated.

Feet approached the motionless redhead, the rain drenching him in an equal amount of liquid.

Feeling the vibration come closer, Gaara propped himself onto his elbow and glared at the imposing stranger, shaking under the straining weight of his wounded body.

The vibrations became stronger as he came closer.

Gaara inched backwards in his attempt to fend off any attacks he would throw at him.

The man made no vibrations.

Feeling a slight breeze come from above him, Gaara quickly pushed off his elbow to try to move out of the way but was impacted by a heavy chop to the back of his neck. Gaara's jade eyes widened at the impact, feeling a numbing haze fall over him.

Trying to fight his conscious, his eyes came to a drooping close and swayed towards the ground.

'**Good job shithead. At a time like this, you just find it necessary to fall unconscious.'**

Ignoring the voice, Gaara attempted to open his eyes despite his body's cry of exhaustion.

The rain still fell, his body still cried, and his wounds still bled—but for a split second his eyes…

_Saw._

His body finally won and Gaara fell to the ground unconscious, the boy caught Gaara's body. Inspecting his wounds, he hitched Gaara over his shoulder before heading north.


	4. IV

seeing **4.**

The slow beeps echoed throughout the room, equaling his heartbeat with each pump of blood.

_**Orochimaru's face twisted into a malicious smirk as he walked slowly to the small boy.**_

"_**From now on, you are under my control. You will be under my guidance along with others."**_

"_**What for?"**_

"_**Entertainment," A slow ruthless grin crawled onto his face. "And don't forget to make friends Gaara." **_

His heartbeat sped up as the monitor emitted identical beeps of agitation.

_**The hateful blow to his stomach sent him across the room; his sweaty cheek eagerly welcomed the cold stone ground.**_

_**Heavy vibrations flashed through the ground, signaling the nearing of his large opponent. "Get up you little piece of shit." **_

_**Struggling to get up, his body was thrown back even farther by a vicious kick.**_

"_**I told you to get the hell up!" **_

_**Gaara groaned softly and coughed up the ever-familiar taste of blood.**_

'**Do you hear him Gaara? He told you to get the hell up.'**

The beeps remained consistent and his brows furrowed into a deep crease.

_**Rising to his knees, another rough kick was dealt swiftly to his jaw.**_

"_**Too slow."Multiple kicks were delivered to his body.**_

'**What the fuck are you doing Gaara? Stop being so fucking pathetic and fight back.'**

"_**And what the hell is that tattoo for? It pisses me off!"**_

_**Looking up the dim lighting of the room, he stumbled to his feet, whipping his head around to locate his opponent and raised his fists, prepared to deflect any oncoming blows.**_

_**Loud, boisterous chortles escaped his opponent's mouth. "You think…" he fell to his knees "That stupid, little brats… like you…" he laughed some more "Can take me on?" he stood back up, wiping his mouth. "I squish insignificant shits like you with my finger." He spit in Gaara's face.**_

_**Feeling the foul-smelling spit roll down his nose, Gaara struck out at the larger man, and the titillating sensation ran through his spine as he heard the loud crack of bone.**_

_**His opponent lurched backwards and fell to the ground—sending intense vibrations through the ground—releasing a deafening scream.**_

"_**You shitty, little piece of shit! Just wait until I get my hands on you, then you won't ever be able to move!" he moaned, clutching his bleeding nose. "Just wait!"**_

_**Falling to the ground, his fist pulsating with each haggard breath he took, the pained screams were blocked out as his jade eyes flickered around.**_

"_**Excellent!" a voice came from behind him. "You did absolutely wonderful Gaara-kun!"**_

'**Great, he was watching.'**

"_**Now that you're thirteen and you've been with this hospitable family for eight years, you should know better than to run away…" he sighed dramatically, gripping onto his shoulder, " The next time you attempt to run away, we'll break a finger." Orochimaru sneered as his fingers dug into Gaara's skin. "Understand?"**_

_**Nodding numbly, Gaara seized his shaking fist.**_

'_**Just a little longer until he reaches maximum potential,' Orochimaru smiled at the rebelliously obedient, red-haired child. **_

"_**Now Nobuta-san," he turned to the whimpered man. "Go to Kabuto so he can fix you nose. Tell him to give you saxitoxin—it speeds up the healing process."**_

_**The man—Nobuta—scampered away, cradling his broken nose.**_

_**Gaara's clammy face paled as Nobuta's footsteps became hushed. "Isn't saxitoxin a neurotoxin?"**_

_**Orochimaru's grin widened. "How very knowledgeable you are Gaara-kun! Too bad for Nobuta-san, yes?"**_

He twisted violently in his bed as beads of sweat began to run down his forehead.

"_**Tell me Gaara-kun, why did you stab Kabuto? He's done so much for you and was simply trying to give your vitamins."Orochimaru asked, squeezing at Gaara's face.**_

_**A trickle of blood ran down his chin as he struggled against his handcuffs, remaining.**_

"_**Giving me the cold shoulder are you? Well I suppose I'll just have to force it out of you then—Kabuto turn it up to level eleven." Orochimaru ordered. **_

_**His jaw went rigid as a current of electricity ran though his body snapping at every nerve sending thousands of excruciating jolts to each organ, emitting a controlled moan.**_

"_**Level twelve—"**_

_**More blood ran down his chin.**_

"_**Thirteen—"**_

_**He yanked at the handcuffs, scraping over the existing gashes.**_

"_**Fourteen—"**_

_**His eyes glazed over.**_

"_**Fifteen—"**_

_**He let loose an ear-splitting scream.**_

_**Orochimaru's face brightened sadistically at Gaara's act of pride. "Still not going to say are we?" he snapped his fingers at Kabuto. "Sixteen."**_

_**Gaara's eyes rolled back and his body shook violently against the chains that held him vertically from the ceiling.**_

_**Orochimaru made a noise of disappointment, smacking Gaara's slack jaw, "And I thought he could last longer—but he broke **_**his **_**record by one level. Isn't he just amazing Kabuto?" he questioned.**_

_**Kabuto glared at the sadistic man but said nothing as he nursed his bandaged thigh.**_

He quivered aggressively and the monitor went feral.

"Get in here Shizune-sempai, we need your help! He's seizing!" a nurse shouted as she worked with others to recline Gaara and contain him.

Shizune gasped as the distinct scar gleamed in the glaring light and rushed to his bedside before turning to a frozen nurse. "Stop standing there like an idiot and go get Tsunade-sensei!" she ordered.

The shaking nurse gripped at her clipboard, "But Tsunade-sensei was called to a meeting half an hour ago and it's still in session."

"Does it look like I care?!" Shizune shouted, holding Gaara's head in a vise. "Go get her—and tell her that Gaara Sabaku is back! **Now!**" she commanded at the panicky nurse who darted off.

* * *

Spinning in her black, leather chair, Tsunade canceled out the insistent nagging of the board of trustees.

"Tsunade-sensei you really should—" _Spin _"—it's come to our very concern that you—" _Spin _"—are you listening Tsunade-sensei?—" _Spin _"—Tsunade-sensei stop spinning!"

The abrupt call of her name threw her off her chair, sending her to the ground. "What?" she asked, collecting herself before sitting back down.

"Now, as we were saying we have come to the conclusion that—"

"Tsunade-sensei!" a young nurse burst into the meeting room.

Five pairs of eyes stared at her as she recoiled suddenly, unmoving.

"Well? Do you need something, because I hope that you young lady have a very good excuse for interrupting this imperative meeting." The head trustee frowned at the nurse.

Shaking, she wobbled over to where Tsunade sat and bent down to her ear. "Shizune-sempai wanted me to tell you that a boy—around fifteen or sixteen I think—was found by—"

"I believe Shizune-san is more than capable of taking care of this patient so please go back and tell her that the next time she doubts her ability to take care of an unproblematic patient to the point where she has to interrupt this meeting then she might as well give up her license." Another trustee spoke up.

The nurse bowed politely. "Yes I know but—"

Tsunade held up a hand, "Is there a specific reason as to why Shizune is so concerned about this patient?"

"No but—"

"Then leave!" The trustee glared at the nurse.

"Did Shizune say anything?"

"Not really… " An irritated grumble was heard "But she told me to tell you that Gaara Sabaku is back." She gripped her clipboard tightly.

Tsunade stood up and bowed to the four trustees. "Thank you for your time but I must take my leave, let's go Ueda-san." She motioned to the door.

"Tsunade-sensei!" The head trustee banged her hands on the long table. "You cannot just leave in the middle of this meeting for some child, Shizune is more than capable—"

"I know Shizune is more than capable—I should know I helped her pass med school—but I'm leaving because I want to." Tsunade smiled at the four, older trustees. "So I bid you good-bye."

She bowed and ran out with Ueda trailing behind.

* * *

**EXTRA SPECIAL AUTHORESS NOTE!:**

I know I'm so horrible for abandoning my stories for so long, but now I'm back! (With any luck, for a while)

**QueenThayet12990**- Sakura is coming soon, so be prepared!

My thanks go to **kallou, sakurablossoms1, Sakura-tenshi-hime, AlaskenWildflower, Casseopia the Narutard, overlordofnobodies, Me and Gaara 4ever, AnnoCat, .Oo, xSinasinnerx, cherry kunoichi forever112, **and last but not least **linkXzelda**! You people are amazing for reviewing and favoriting and put this on alert! AMAZING!


	5. V

seeing **5.**

The constant, erratic beeping blared through the halls as doctor and nurse filtered in and out of the frantic room.

"_Hold his head still!"_

"_Give me twenty-milligrams of phenytoin!"_

"_Is Tsunade-sensei here yet?!"_

"_We need more restraints!"_

"_Where the hell is Tsunade?! I sent Ueda to go get her ten minutes ago!"_

* * *

Chilly winds blew around the decaying leaves on the damp ground, yet the attention of the small hospital's patients never strayed from the petite girl swaying on the rusty swing.

Hushed whispers reached her pale ears causing a bright red flush to appear but she said nothing.

* * *

"Why is it that it takes five minutes to get from the first floor to the second floor?" Tsunade ran hastily out of the elevator and down the hall, with Ueda trailing slowly behind her.

Holding onto her chest, Ueda huffed, "Please slow down Tsunade-sensei, I can't keep up." However, her cry was lost behind Tsunade's mane of hair.

Skidding down the long corridor, Tsunade inwardly cursed the man who made heels as she reached for the door handle before yanking it open.

"I'm here, what's the problem Shizune?" she asked sliding her stethoscope from off her neck.

Shizune sighed with relief as she wiped her forehead with the sleeve of her white coat. "You're a little late Tsunade-sensei but for now there isn't one, we just stabilized his grand-mal seizure with twenty-milligrams of phenytoin, restraints, and a mouth gag—but we took off the gag when the seizures stopped." She motioned towards the pulled taupe curtains before excusing herself to go speak with a group of doctors.

Tsunade gave Shizune a light pat on the shoulder, "Thanks for getting me." She smiled.

Shizune smiled back, "Your welcome, it was the least I could do."

Watching as the door shut softly behind Shizune, Tsunade slowly made her way over to the comatose body before loosening up the beige-colored restraints and reviewing over his chart.

'_Gaara Sabaku, seventeen years old—twelve years have passed.' _Tsunade moved a stray lock from out of his face to reveal the ever-distinctive scar. _'Love,' _she thought tracing the smooth scar with the tip of her finger. _'How ironic.' _She chuckled bitterly to herself as she thought back to the horrendous memory of a fragile boy clutching desperately onto his head. _'You're actually back Gaara.' _

She did the routine procedure of checking his blood pressure, replacing his drained IV with a new one, etcetera before falling into the plush wooden chair next to the wall and closing her eyes.

'_Just a little nap.'_


	6. VI

seeing **6.**

"You were supposed to keep an eye on him, not let him escape from right under your noses!" Shizune berated, waving her hands in the air for emphasis on her frustration as she glared at the two nurses who flinched at the tone of her voice. "And the least you could have done was made sure that he received a dry set of clothes—he did carry a boy the same size as him on his back in the pouring rain, did he not?" She stared at the nurses who in turn stared dejectedly at the tiled ground before sighing at motioning for them to leave. "Just… next time keep your eye on him, you know he likes to push the limit. Dismissed."

As the pair scuttled back to their stations, Shizune slumped into one of the rehabilitation hospital's small lobby chairs. _'I can suddenly see why we're sued more than we're properly thanked,' _she thought groaning uncomfortably in the chair. _'I need to remember to tell Tsunade-sensei to put an order on cozier chairs.'_

* * *

_**Fiddling with the thin foil band on her ring finger, she swallowed a gulp of warm water to calm her nerves. However, with no avail, she began to pop her knuckles methodically.**_

'_**He's going to be okay, he's going to be okay, he's going to be okay," repeating the mantra in her head, she crushed the empty cup in her hand. 'He's going to be okay, he's going to be ok—'**_

"_**Miss?" a voice snapped her out of her trance.**_

_**Flying up from her seat, she stared eagerly into the eyes of the sea-green clothed surgeon. "Yes? Is the surgery done? Is he okay? Will he be…" she trailed off as the look on the surgeons face informed her of all the things she would need to know.**_

"_**But… you said… you said that you c-could operate on him and nothing would go wrong!" she tugged on her hair as her vision blurred. "This isn't supposed to happen! He isn't supposed to leave me—he promised! I can't lose him after he's only come back!" she shoved the disconsolate surgeon out of the way before charging down the hall into the large operation room, where multiple doctors worked together to lift the long bag onto the stretcher.**_

_**Running up to the closed bag, she encircled her arms around the hidden body, tears of anguish ran down her cheeks as her grip on the bag tightened. "No! Please...don't leave me!" she sobbed loudly while hands pulled on her.**_

"_**What is she doing in here? Somebody get her out!"**_

"_**Ma'am, you need to let go of the body."**_

_**Her arms gripped even tighter as she shook her head, tears falling faster down her face.**_

"_**Please let go of the body Miss, it needs to be taken down to be autopsied."**_

_**Biting her lip, she dropped to her knees. "I can't let him go! I don't want to!"**_

"_**You have to, he's already—"**_

_**The force pulling her soon stopped as it was replaced with a soothing rub—it was the surgeon from before.**_

"_**I'm sorry."**_

Jolting awake, she shook the excess water from off of her umbrella before folding it back to its compact size. Standing up with support from the tree, she dusted the soggy dirt off her legs; she zipped up her jacket to keep out any unwanted breezes.

Sighing softly, she made her way through the forest to return to the convivial hospital, and silently wished that the people from before dispersed. Swinging her small, peach umbrella around, she froze as sounds of footsteps neared.

* * *

Coming to an abrupt stop, the intake of the moist air was welcomed by his dry throat as he slid off the damp hood of his sweater. Looking at his surroundings, the deep green forestry bathed in the previous heavy shower and the sun now shone through the thick foliage that the trees made together.

'_Looks like this is a good place to rest,' _he thought running a hand through his equally damp blonde hair. _'I wonder if Shizune nee-san is freaking out?' _he snickered loudly at the thought of the mid-aged woman pacing back and forth, ripping her hair out.

Falling to the ground, he released a long sigh and inhaled deeply before lying down on the dark brown soil. Staring up at the covered sky, a group of birds flew overhead, chirping. Shaking his head, he proceeded to do crunches._ 'I wonder if he's awake…'_

_**Jogging quickly so that he could return to his little prison house—though inside he knew that it was the one place in the world he wished never to leave—the light rain suddenly cursed the sky and threw heavy pelts of water down at his head.**_

'_**Shit, Tsunade baa-chan is going to kill me if I track muddy prints into the prison again!' he glanced uneasily down at his moving feet and soaking shoes, to see the splash of mud decorate his feet and shins. 'And if I knew it was going to rain I would've worn sweatpants,' he thought, grimacing at the feeling of his drenched shorts.**_

_**Glaring through the haze of rain, a boom of raging thunder followed the brief burst of lightening. Speeding up, he stopped unexpectedly at the blurry sight of six fallen bodies—one farther away from the others. Approaching the secluded body with caution, the body was of a boy, about his age and his crimson hair matched the steady gush of blood flowing from multiple wounds. To his unwanted surprise, the boy moved to prop himself on his elbow, though the strain was evident.**_

_**The other five bodies were gone by the time he looked back up. 'I suppose they want nothing to do with him.' Deducting the possibilities that the crimson-haired boy was of any danger to him while sustaining such wounds, he stopped his advance when he was glared at—his eyes were a piercing hue of a lightless jade that stared through his clear blue ones. Although the glare was rather intense, he thought back to an equally intense glare and resumed walking forward; the closer he was, the fiercer the glare became. Realizing that the boy was straining himself just by glaring at him, he decided to end this as fast as possible so that he could return to the hospital. So he used a move that Lee showed him and brought his hand down in a downwards chop.**_

_**Certain that the boy was unconscious; he reached over and lifted the boy onto his shoulder with a low grunt. He was heavier than he looked, and at a closer look, he was very built. Wiping the dripping rain from his eyes, he pushed off the balls of his feet in a hasty dash north.**_

—

_**Pulling open the door to the hospital, the receptionist gasped as he entered with the boy on his back.**_

"_**Are you okay? Tsunade-sensei was beginning to get worried when you didn't come back from your morning jog, it even began to rain!" the receptionist released an even louder gasp as the boy on his back coughed loudly, blood splattering on his shoulder. "What happened?! Someone bring a gurney!" she shouted at two passing nurses.**_

_**They laid the red-haired boy along the lobby chairs as they waited. "I found him when I was running back; it took me longer with an extra person." He explained.**_

_**The receptionist nodded before running to meet up with the two nurses and three other doctors bringing in the gurney. "On three—one, two, three!" they lifted the wounded boy onto the gurney before speeding away to the emergency room.**_

Shaking his head to rid any extra rain that had hidden itself in his hair, he stood up into a stretch. _'To the right…' _he leaned exaggeratedly to the right, _'To the left…' _Switching to the other side, his peripheral vision caught a flash of pink hair. Grabbing a fistful of small pebbles from off the ground as he bent over, he stretched out his back before hurling the pebbles in one swift motion at the intruder. The barrage hit the bark with resounding thumps, resulting in a muffled yelp as the intruder ran out from behind the tree.

Falling back into a stance, he relaxed and was fast to apologize when it revealed a petite girl. "I'm sorry… for throwing rocks…at you." Listening to his own lame pretext made a pink flush run over his cheeks. "Now… w-what's a… a little girl like you doing in the woods all alone?" he asked, attempting to regain what little face he had left.

However, to his dismay, her face twisted into an insulted one as she began to make broad, wild hand gestures, pointing primarily at himself and making a fist before ramming it into the palm of her hand.

'_I guess her mom is the type to really enforce the whole "don't-talk-to-strangers" rule.' _Wincing, he raised his hands, "Okay I get… no need to get dangerous." Scratching the back of his neck, he swallowed nervously. "So… what's your name?" this time he stood farther away from the girl incase she decided to start flinging rocks at him.

Biting her lip timidly, she looked around before picking up a thin sapling; crouching down she proceeded to write something on the ground.

_Sa… ku… ra. Ha…ru…no._

He crouched down to read it. "Sakura Haruno," he repeated, receiving a light nod from the girl who began to wave her hands wildly again—though this time with a stick in her hand. Inching away once again, he pointed to the ground, "H-How about you write it down?" he suggested.

Nodding in response, her long, elegant brushstrokes made the dirty soil shine with dignity.

_Now that I've told you my name, the polite thing to do now is to tell me yours._

Finishing reading the request, he looked up to the pink-haired girl who held out her hand. Taking her opened hand and standing up, he was embarrassed to find that her hand was surprisingly warm, causing him to blush. Clearing his throat and running a hand over his face, he was now looking down at her.

"Naruto Uzumaki's the name." he grinned brightly at the girl before squeezing her hand and dragging her through the forest back to the hospital. "Now, I know a place where they have the best ramen!" he boasted before pulling her along.

As they ran through the wooded forest back to the hospital, Naruto secretly enjoyed the warmth that Sakura's small hand exuded.


	7. hiatus

I sincerely apologize for those who have been waiting patiently for new chapters for any of my stories, but I would like to say that I am taking a short hiatus—or at least—a short time frame to re-gather all of my stories and perhaps change the format that they are written in. And they actually might be deleted and then reloaded, so keep your eye out!

By the way, do you like the way I formatted my OHSHC one-shots? That will probably be the format that they will be written in. Maybe…

And since school is almost over and summer is coming I will have a _lot _more time to think up new ideas!

So until then—_Au Revoir!_

~fueledBYpachi


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